Communication

5. Parental involvement as active citizenship

5.4. Portuguese camp example activity

ACTIVITY		60 minutes
	Should I do the activity alone?	Try to complete the activity with your partner
	After completing the activity…	I should be able to: Recognize the importance of Family-School/Setting-Community work. Assume my own needs and the importance of quality of life Recognize the importance of helping and be helped Be able to connect more easily with other families with the same issues
	Before I start, what will I need to do this activity?	Sheets of papers and pencils.
What do I have to do? Read the text bellow: It takes a village to raise a child - essential responsibility of the village to educate the young in the community that will allow successful continuity into the future. Our “village” has never been more necessary than it is today. Parents and concerned community residents have a right and an obligation to be meaningfully involved in the affairs of schools and settings. This a fundamental right embedded in society, not something bestowed by governments. The underpinning for this idea is a classic democratic theory. Joyce Epstein describes the institutional connections of the school/setting, family, and community as a set of overlapping spheres of influence on children’s learning and development. Research show and it is also common sense that when the separate parts of the child’s worlds are connected appropriately and in some harmony, the child benefits and so does the school/setting, the family and the community. Schools can strengthen families’ links with community organizations and resources. When parents receive the support they need, they’re likely to be more relaxed and healthier, set an example for their children that it is okay to ask for help, and show their kids the value in both helping and being helped. Community-based parent support programs and initiatives can have a direct impact on child behaviour outcomes in that they enhance parents’ capabilities and efficacy, particularly when they are family-centred as opposed to professional-centred. See this example of Good Practice: Olivais in Holidays+ (Power Point Presentation) Now Think about it: How important is this good practice? What is the goal? Who will benefit from the fulfilment of this practice? What is the benefit? Should families of children with disabilities have the right to have time for themselves?
	What to do next?	We will help each other if we share some key ideas to the forum. Any insight you learned from? Was it helpful? Are you feeling especially happy or worried about something related? Will you apply it in your daily routine? …?